Beijing Boyce

This kicks off a series of posts about where Beijing residents enjoy a beverage or two.

Steven Schwankert is founder of Beijing-based diving school SinoScuba. Last year he led an Explorers Club team on a two-week diving expedition of Lake Khovsgol in Mongolia. Next week he will lead a dive on the underwater parts of the Great Wall. Long story short: He is familiar with liquid. Here are his bar picks:

Drinking and diving don’t mix, but kept separate they are fine. Overall, I try to patronize bars that are owned and/or run by divers.

The Rickshaw
They offer the thing that is most important to me at a bar - a stable Internet connection. The service and food is just OK, but they have sports and news on big TVs, the location is convenient, and there’s a regular crowd that’s usually annoyance-free until 6 pm. Kris, one of the owners, is a diver.

Tim’s Texas BBQ
Great bottomless iced tea, a very refreshing drink after a dive except if it was an ice dive! Good Internet for afternoon use. The owner Tim dives - we had SinoScuba’s fifth anniversary party here.

Face
Nothing to do with diving, but visitors love it, they make a decent malarial cure (gin and tonic), and the crowd is tolerable.

The Press Club Bar
I’m looking forward to this place re-opening when the St. Regis finishes its renovation. They make the best Tanqueray and tonic I’ve ever had.

Maggie’s (R.I.P.)
Spare me the crass comments, it was the one bar that, regardless of its patrons, was open late, had great bartenders, great rock music, and just a bit of an edge.

Some like it hot, some like it spicy, and p3wong likes her Bloody Mary to be both, and with a pinch of celery salt to boot. Friday night, we chilled out in the upstairs lounge at Nearby the Tree, tried a Bloody Mary - yes, we’re aware this spot is known for Belgian beer - and discussed how her favorite drink fares in this city.

“They never use celery salt [in Bloody Marys] in Beijing,” she says. “A lot of places are also stingy on Worcestershire sauce.”

So, what spots does she recommend?

“Redmoon Bar (Hyatt). They use enough Worschestire sauce and put in cherry tomatoes.”

“Lan - the Sichuan Mary is spicy.”

“[The former] Icehouse [where she once worked as GM]; I could tell the staff exactly how I wanted it made.”‘

“The Bookworm - it has an interesting one. I think they make their own juice because it comes out pinkish.”

“I haven’t tried The Vineyard Cafe yet, but I heard they have a ‘do it yourself’ Bloody Mary and I like that idea.”

How about Face? “Okay, but it seems a little bitter, so I’m wondering if they use pepper vodka.”

Block 8? “They must have the worst one. They shake it with the ice and it gets too watery.”

Aria? “The first one I had there, I could only taste tomato juice. The second one had a lot of vodka but not much flavor.”

Centro? “They’re bad. I was disappointed because I heard Bruce Li [now at Aria] was the best bartender. I don’t know if he made mine, but they weren’t good.”

As for the Bloody Mary at Nearby the Tree, here’s p3wong’s take: “It could be better with celery salt, Worcestershire sauce and more tomato juice.” At any rate, it’s a cozy place to chat and there’s plenty of beer and wine as an alternative.

Here are a few my current and past favorite places for a Bloody Mary:

Café St. Laurent: Its ‘Asian Mary’ includes wasabi and soya, a rim salted with nori, and pickled asparagus, a cherry tomato and a prawn as garnish. It comes in a 12-ounce glass, without ice, so it doesn’t get watery. CSL will soon have Bloody Caesars, made with Clamato rather than tomato juice.

Press Club Bar: The menu includes a half-dozen Bloody Mary variations, including one with Qingdao beer; tasty but pricey. (Note: I hear the St. Regis Hotel, which houses The Press Club Bar, is undergoing some renovations, so I’ll visit soon and check this out.)

Before closing, The Big Easy made a nice Bloody Mary.

Welcome to Readers’ Writes week, starring the collective wisdom of 17 fellow bar-goers who answered my survey about their favorite Beijing drinking holes and the city’s general nightlife scene. They include men and women, span five decades in age, hail from four continents, and provide some appreciated insights. (Note: This first appeared in last week’s newsletter. To get the newsletter, send an email with “Eat, Drink and Be Merry” in the subject line to beijingboyce@yahoo.com.)

Without further ado…

DON ST. PIERRE, U.S. and “Canuck” citizen, founder of ASC Fine Wines, 21 years in Beijing and “only a little bit crazy”

Your favorite bar(s), and why
The Capital Club: It’s very relaxed, with many friends, and the best service in town. I helped design the bar.
The Pavillion: I love getting there early and chatting with my good friends Russell and Christine, even though neither of them drinks wine, and Christine not at all. Lots of old friends there, too, and it’s right on my way home. No detour necessary.
The Press Club bar in the St. Regis: It’s where I live and I can crawl home if I have to.
Capone’s: Strictly because of the singer Bobby Taylor, and Dougie, his piano player. My kind of music. Lots of Motown.

Your all-time favorite bar(s) and why
The Old Frank’s Place… friends, friends, friends
The Capital Club: Somebody asked about 10 years ago, “What time do you close?” and Dennis the bartender replied straight-faced, “When Don leaves.”

Thoughts on the local drinking scene
Generally speaking, a little low on class and I’m surprised so many people haven’t figured out that cheap drinks equals poor service. You can’t buy a Rolls Royce for the price of a Tianjin Diahatsu! The best days were the old days with my band of Beijing Jeep expats in places like Charlie’s Bar and The Gallery in the Lido. Lots of yelling and screaming and cursing, but we accomplished a lot.

OLLI ROBINSON, British, editor, 2 years

Favorites
The Saddle: I’ll always respect a place where the owner says you can carry on sleeping at the bar as long as you lock up when you leave. Plus, the fact the drinks are cheap, it’s unpretentious and the burritos aren’t half bad.
Red Ball: Beer + Football = : )
Luna: Great decor, good wine, friendly service - all in a nice part of town

All-time
Nanjie: The perfect place for any Beijing newcomer. Hot, steamy and sleazy. And cheap - very important for Beijing’s unemployed laowai community.
Yugong Yishan: Well… it’s Yugong Yishan.
Bed: In my opinion, the measure of a bar is if you could plonk it down in any city around the world and it would still be considered cool, even outside Beijing, you have yourself a fine establishment. Bed is one such place.
The Tree: I never had the fortune of frequenting the Hidden Tree, but its successor is a comfortable, sociable place to drink good beer.

The scene
While not being the most sophisticated night out, Beijing’s still… fun

EDDIE O

Favorites
My spot is Cheers. They don’t try and put on any airs, the prices are right and there is a good mix of live music and recorded stuff to request. Where else will they play the La Marseillaise, George Thorogood, Celine Dion and Frank Sinatra in the same hour while selling you a shot of Wild Turkey for 30 kuai?

JASON BEDFORD, Canadian, financial advisor, 3.5 years

Favorites
It’s hard to name one place because depending on my mood / situation, I normally vary between three places. When I’m with close friends or friends from out of town, I normally go with Suzie Wong’s: somewhat classy with an old Shanghai feel to it, drinks are good albeit pricey, and lots of women. If I am with colleagues, a date or just want a quiet drink, I’ll normally hit Centro (close by and the happy hour makes the prices pretty reasonable). If I’m feeling young and looking to get very inebriated, then Shooters is the place for me.

All-time
The recently torn down First Cafe. Made me feel like I was back home and the martinis are the best I have ever had. I was definitely sad to see it go… On that note, has anywhere managed to stand up to the plate and replace it?

The scene
I’ll go with a memory… In the two and a half years since South Street bar street was torn down, nothing new has ever quite been able to capture the same energy. The string of cheap bars there were so small that there was never enough room to seat the flock of people that would inevitably show up every weekend, forcing people outside onto the street, making every weekend seem like a little street party. Some of the old bars from there have reappeared (i.e. Pure Girl and Taniwha) but it’s just not the same…

John Bull Pub has officially closed and will reopen as Tim’s Texas BBQ in late October. Sequoia Cafe next door remains open. / The show is over for Icehouse’s live blues experiment. The Wangfujing bar brought in Chicago musicians but not enough Beijing patrons and will soon split duties as home to the Courtyard Gallery and host of Chopschticks comedy nights, Beijing Cheese Society gatherings, wine tastings and weekend bands. / Speaking of double duty, Phil of Phil’s Pub not only owns a Beijing bar, but also manages Q Bar in Qingdao’s Shangri-La Hotel. Pay him a visit if you travel to our beer-loving sister city to the south. / Last Saturday night, 1:30 AM, Rui Fu: empty. I don’t mean just a few patrons, I mean zero. Last Saturday night, 1:45 AM, Maggie’s: busy. What does it mean? / Pipes (plural), known as a retreat for women who love women, now goes by Pipe (singular). If the new sign is any indication, Coors (singular or plural?) is the sponsor. My only visit to Pipe(s) was with M-Dawg last year and lasted an awkward ten minutes. / I visited The Press Club in the St. Regis Hotel twice this past month and found the staff pleasant and the cocktails above average - they should be at 70 kuai per martini. / Smallville, Shunyi’s newest spot, will open on October 21 with free cinnamon rolls, a silent auction of comic book posters, and the Instant Noodles jazz band (8046-5448; beside Yard Restaurant). This spot also boasts butter tarts, my kryptonite of foods, that substance to which I have no resistance. Midnight drew major cocktail-loving crowds before the management and bartenders fell out earlier this year. The bar is virtually empty these days, but hope springs eternal and a “pure-hearted invitation” posted in the window seeks a foreigner with bar experience and contacts with local social groups. / Over the last few successive issues, I have written about how my all-time favorite Beijing bar First Cafe went from closing to being chai’d to being site of a garden. The latest: The garden is gone and replaced by a pile of dirt fronted by a three-meter high fence. Is nothing sacred?

It’s in what’s supposedly a six-star hotel - The St. Regis - though the service lags about three stars behind. Decent but over-priced booze in a stuffy atmosphere that makes me want to pretend, in hushed tones, that I have some influence in the universe. (”I tell you Davis, if we can get Chip to think outside the box, we’ll corner the kimchi market.”) 

(From Beijing Boyce XI, first emailed on February 23, 2006)

A reporter from this yet-to-be-named newsletter stopped by John Bull Pub last Thursday to chat with owner Frank Siegel, credited with opening, in 1989, the city’s first non-hotel bar — the aptly named Frank’s Place. Over coffee, he gave us the rundown on 16 years of Beijing bar history and then answered five questions:

BB: I take it you didn’t have Guinness on tap back then. What drinks did you offer?

FS: We started with bottles of Beijing draft; the draft itself came later. San Miguel out of Hong Kong was big. At one time, we had Miller draft. There was actually a Miller beer garden at the Asian Games Village and we eventually got the beer. Spirits were never a problem.

BB: That tequila tasting was excellent. What’s the best event you’ve ever organized?

FS: Frank’s Place Polar Golf Outing. It started 10 years ago and the guys running Frank’s are still doing it.

BB: The Spanish wine tasting two years ago was big. A gentleman from the embassy was to give a talk on a Friday. We had a capacity of 30 and on Wednesday had 12 people signed up. There were 36 by Friday. In the meantime, the Spanish guy told all these people to come down. It was supposed to start at 7:30 and everyone was speaking Spanish, some were on the list and some weren’t, and we ended up with about 50 to 55 people. I was really nervous, but they were all saying, “Relax, we’re Spanish, just take your time getting ready.” We finally got going at 9 PM and we all had a great time.
BB: What’s the biggest single difference between running a bar in 1989 and now?

FS: There is more competition, more places. The population is more diffused — we didn’t have Shunyi then — and a lot of the client base is out of the city. We knew everyone back then.

BB: Besides John Bull Pub, what are you favorite bars and restaurants in Beijing?

FS: Because of the traffic, I usually go to local restaurants, but I’m impressed with Hatsune (Japanese restaurant) and the Orchard. For a nice glass of wine, Aria [in China World Hotel] and Press Club Bar in the St. Regis — I know the guys there, they’re nice people. But I really need to get out more.

BB: What’s your cure for a hangover?

FS: Drink Gatorade or Pocari Sweat and then go to the gym. It’s painful, but it works.

(From Beijing Boyce II, first emailed on October 20, 2005)